Around 140 people crowded into the Old Lyme Town Hall’s Meeting Room Tuesday evening to hear a presentation on a proposal to dredge the lower stretches of both Black Hall and Four Mile Rivers. Not only was every seat taken but all standing room was used too and some attendees had to stand in the foyer.
Described as a “rare opportunity” for the town by a representative of Coastline Consulting, the proposal, if passed, would be fully funded by the Connecticut Department of Transportation (DOT) to the tune of over $1.6 million.
The point was repeatedly stressed by various speakers that the project had already been put out to bid and could not therefore overrun to any degree as prices are already established. The amount of $1,614,074.00 to be given to the Town in the form of a grant from the state DOT covers the bid total. Steve Ross, Chairman of the Old Lyme Harbor Management Commission, noted there was also a surplus remaining from a previous grant to cover any minor overruns.
A number of questions were raised during the public comment session, but the motion was fairly rapidly brought to a vote in an effort to quell the somewhat boisterous audience.
After much confusion regarding whether a vote was being taken on the proposal itself or whether to bring the proposal to a vote, order was finally reinstated and the vote on the proposal was finally taken. It passed easily with 117 in favor and 11 against.